Building Functional Skills

Apart from spoken language, your loved one may prefer to use other modes of communication. You can teach them pronunciation by incorporating it into daily activities and natural opportunities through which they can reinforce what they learn. The Early Childhood Holistic Outcomes (ECHO) framework and the Routines-Based Model (RBM) are useful tools that can help your loved one in this process. For example, they can begin learning the names of objects, people and places as they encounter it. Enunciating the words clearly will also help them know how the word sounds if they have residual hearing or how it may be pronounced or mouthed.

You can find out about and introduce relevant apps and courses to support your loved one’s learning of sign language. Where both of you have learnt it, practise and use sign language with them at home regularly to help them remember the signs and communicate proficiently.

To help your loved one learn to travel independently, you can teach them to:

• Look out for visual indicators such as flashing red lights at MRT doors which indicate that train doors are closing, or station indication panels which identify the station they are at or are approaching.
• Look out for displays around bus stops/train stations that indicate arrival timings and destinations.
• Identify sources of help such as information counters.

Assistive technology devices such as hearing aids, and assistive hearing devices that can pick up sounds and transmit them more clearly to hearing aids, are available for your loved one.

You can also adapt your home environment to ensure that your loved one has a more conducive living space, such as using visual and haptic doorbells

To find out about their needs and suitability for various assistive technology and aids, you can speak to allied health professionals or reach out to Tech Able. If you require financial support to make a purchase, you can check your eligibility and apply for the Assistive Technology Fund.

If your loved one uses hearing aids or have cochlear implants, they should:

• Clean and care for your hearing aid and the external parts of your cochlear implant regularly .
• Learn from the audiologist about using relevant mobile applications to control the device’s settings.
• Attend appointments with the doctor and/or audiologist for review as recommended. You can contact the audiologist if there are issues with your loved one’s hearing aid such as a deterioration of sound quality.
• Take precautions during contact sports or other situations that may pose higher risk of head injuries such as wearing a helmet.

Your loved one may require support in mobility⁴ and the use of PMAs such as wheelchairs or walking aids⁵. They can work with allied health professionals to learn to use the aids safely, make full use of their abilities, and be as independent as possible.

To complement therapy sessions, the professionals may encourage your loved one to engage in exercises at home to build up or maintain their muscle strength, which are critical in maximising their mobility.

It is also important to seek advice from allied health professionals on the types of exercises that are suitable for your loved one to avoid injuries.

You can support your loved one to travel independently by:

• Planning and identifying accessible routes with them (e.g. routes that have elevators and ramps).
• Teaching them to buffer extra time for the travel, especially during peak hours when the buses or trains may be crowded.

You can accompany your loved one on their travelling routes a few times and assess their readiness before letting them travel independently. You can also encourage them to take public transport, or they can consider other modes of point-to-point transport such as:

• Taxis and Private Hire Cars. However, this may not be a feasible option for persons with bulky motorised wheelchairs.
• Transport services offered by social service agencies and other private providers.

Find out more about the transport options and schemes available for your loved one. You can also build their independence by teaching them to use mobile apps to book suitable transport.

PMAs can help your loved one perform activities of daily living and move around more easily. It is important for users to learn how to maintain their devices. Some tips on PMA use include:

• Monitor the charging process for devices to prevent overcharging and overheating.
• Ensure wheelchair tyres are sufficiently inflated and that AT devices are cleaned regularly.
• Avoid travelling on rough or hilly terrains as much as possible, as it can cause more wear and tear of the PMA over time.
• Ensure that the PMAs such as wheelchairs fit comfortably and allow your loved one to sit upright with a good posture where possible. You can also make an appointment for an AT assessment, fill up the Assistive Technology Referral Form and email it to SPD.

If your loved one has speech difficulties, Augmentative and Alternative Communication devices may be helpful for them.

To find out about their need and suitability for various assistive technology and aids, you can speak to allied health professionals or reach out to Tech Able. If financial support is required to make a purchase, you can apply for the Assistive Technology Fund.

To help encourage independence, you can assign your loved one with certain household chores to carry out. Accomplishing tasks can also build their sense of responsibility and accomplishment. If they are unable to complete the entire chore, break it down into smaller tasks that they can better manage. For example, in doing laundry, if they are not able to hang the clothes, they can help with folding.

Daily activities like eating at a food court, or helping out with the purchase of groceries, can double up as natural learning opportunities through which your loved one can develop social, self-care, and community living skills. This would be helpful in improving their social relationships, independence, and learning. The Early Childhood Holistic Outcomes (ECHO) framework and the Routines-Based Model (RBM) are useful tools that can help your loved one build their functional skills through their everyday activities.

There are various assistive technology and aids available to help with household chores. You can also adapt your home environment to ensure that your loved one has a safer and more conducive living space. For example, you can create a smart home system to encourage independent living as you can control the switches and appliances in your house from your phone.

For greater convenience, they can tap on delivery mobile applications to purchase food, groceries and other goods without having to travel.

They may face certain physical challenges when carrying out economic or legal transactions. This includes difficulties in withdrawing cash from non-accessible ATMs, or challenges signing documents due to their lack of motor control. In such cases, you can help them explore alternatives, like using cashless modes of payment or using thumbprints instead of signatures for authorisation respectively.

Assistive technology and aids can help your loved one with daily activities such as reading, communicating or performing household chores. Some of these tools include:

• Kitchen equipment that is safe and user-friendly, such as induction cookers instead of gas stoves, cutting boards with contrasting colours that will allow your loved one to see the food better, or weighing machines with talkback functions
• Screen readers that can read out text as shown on a computer screen or handphone.
• E-accessible food delivery apps which can help them purchase food or groceries independently.
• Low vision accessibility features such as magnifiers.

You can also adapt your home environment to ensure that your loved one has a safer and more conducive living space. This can be done by enhancing the lighting, re-arranging furniture and colour coding household items for those with residual vision. Voice activating commands can also be used to control switches and different kitchen appliances in the house.

To find out about your loved one’s need and suitability for such assistive technology and aids, you can speak to allied health professionals or reach out to Tech Able.

You can make use of your daily routines and natural opportunities to reinforce your loved one’s learning of functional skills. The Early Childhood Holistic Outcomes (ECHO) framework and the Routines-Based Model (RBM) are useful tools that can help in this process. You can also consider using tactile modelling and physical guidance⁶:

• Tactile Modelling⁷: You can aid your loved one in using their sense of touch to perform an action or activity. For example, when you are cutting fruits, you can place their hands on yours so they can get a sense of your movements.
• Physical Guidance: You can help your loved one perform an action on their own by positioning them properly and directing them through the motions⁸.

Developing other senses, such as touch and hearing, can improve your loved one’s access to knowledge that is useful for daily living. For instance:

• If your loved one has trouble reading print, they may benefit from using braille to read. To develop their braille reading abilities, you can help train their sense of touch by encouraging greater use of fingers and hands to explore the surroundings and objects⁹. Alternatively, you may use a pen scanner for the talkback function.
• In maximising residual sight, you can help hone their visual efficiency skills, for example by encouraging them to visually scan for and locate items if they have tunnel vision. You can consult a low vision occupational therapist for help with this.
• You can also help build their auditory skills by drawing their attention to the different sounds in their environment and getting them to identify the sources of these sounds¹⁰.

Orientation and mobility training can help them learn to travel safely and independently. This ensures that they are aware of where they are in relation to their environment, the direction they need to head towards, and how to reach their destination safely. Such training can be customised to your loved one’s unique needs and abilities¹¹as well. Some techniques covered in orientation and mobility training include:

• Using navigational guides such as tactile paths and listening out for announcements at transport nodes like MRT stations.
• Listening out for sounds that alert users to the arrival of buses or trains or the beeping sound at traffic light junctions.

You can encourage them to participate in physical activities from young to develop their motor skills, balance, and spatial awareness. These will help them:

• Determine where they are by analysing their environment based on residual sight or other senses.
• Navigate to their destination safely by building a mental map of the landscape, pathways and roads they need to cross.
• Learn to use mobility canes or consider your ability to be matched with a guide dog¹².

You can accompany your loved one on their travelling routes a few times and assess their readiness before letting them travel independently. You can also encourage them to use mobile applications to check the arrival times of buses or book taxis and private hire cars.